The vote on the future of regional transit that was scheduled for a vote by the Wisconsin State Assembly on Tuesday didn’t actually happen, but a lot of small actions leading up to it did. Starting at 3:43 A.M. on Wednesday, April 21st, the Wisconsin State Assembly finally reached AB282 (which was intentionally moved to the end of their agenda around midnight when they started the session).

The wait is over, the Wisconsin State Assembly is set to vote on Assembly Bill 282 on Tuesday. AB282 is the latest proposal for a regional transit solution for southeastern Wisconsin, containing a funding solution for the bus systems of Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee County, as well as provisions to allow planning to go forward for the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) Commuter Rail system.

See the premier broadcast of Gridlock: Public Transit in SE Wisconsin this Thursday July 2nd, at 6 PM on WMVS Milwaukee Public TV. Viewing party at Transfer Pizzeria & Cafe.

The Wisconsin state budget is now at a point where it will go to a conference committee after the Senate approved their version of the budget yesterday. The conference committee will reconcile the difference between the Assembly and Senate versions, and send the budget off to Governor Doyle. Doyle will then use his line-item veto power on certain language he doesn’t like, and Wisconsin have a budget.

The Regional Transit Authority passed the Joint Finance Committee this morning at 2:17 a.m., but not in a very regional way. The Regional Transit Authority is now largely property of the Milwaukee County Board thanks to Pedro Colon and Lena Taylor’s amendment. The .5% sales tax is now a 1% sales tax, and Racine and Kenosha counties are out. The 1% Milwaukee County sales tax increase will also cover parks and EMS as well as transit, with no clear distinction on which piece gets which amount. Furthermore, 15% of the 1% sales tax will be distributed to the City of Milwaukee to use as they wish.

The Regional Transit Authority, a solution to Milwaukee’s transit woes that we’ve advocated before, is coming down to the wire in the halls of the state capitol.  For the plan to move forward it needs to be included in the state budget, and for that to happen it needs to be approved by the Joint [...]

The Milwaukee circulator streetcar is moving forward, but there is still confusion in the mind of many. We’ve covered the issue in the past, but this article attempts to bring everything together in one place, the history, the frequently asked questions, and the proposed route.

As the RTA inches closer and closer to reality in Milwaukee, what else is going on in transit elsewhere in the country?

When Governor Jim Doyle unveils his budget proposal later today, one thing that is likely to be included in it is the recommendations of the Southeastern Wisconsin RTA. While this certainly doesn’t mean the RTA is a done deal, it’s a large step forward towards fixing transit funding issues in the Milwaukee region.

The proposed Regional Transit Authority recommendations were on the agenda after being delayed at a previous meeting of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors.  At the previous meeting a task force was created and charged with putting together a positive message from the county supporting regional transportation.
Supervisor Jursik explained that despite the task force’s work [...]